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You will find that a couple of minutes now and then, making the needed adjustments, will
improve the sound immensely. It is to your advantage to become proficient at making
adjustments from the start.
CAUTION ABOUT DOING YOUR OWN ADJUSTMENTS
Before you start tinkering with your banjo, there is something you need to think about. What
happens if you break the truss-rod, a hanger-bolt or something? This is not uncommon when
someone completely new to banjo adjustments starts tinkering with his/her banjo.
A reputable repairman usually guarantees his work and repairs any mistakes he makes, or
replaces the instrument if he breaks it. If you break it, however, you will suffer the loss.
We recommend that before attempting any adjustments, you read this manual carefully, and
take your banjo to a reputable repairman. Watch him work on it and ask questions. So that next
time, you will be more familiar with how to do the adjustments yourself.
TIGHTENING THE HEAD
Your banjo should have a tight head in order to have its clearest tone. It should not be too tight
or the bass notes will be stifled.
BROKEN HEAD
A head can get brittle with age, so replacing a broken head is just part of owning a banjo.
CHANGING THE HEAD
If you're not confident in your ability to change the head correctly, please have a qualified
repairman do it for you while you watch, so that next time you will be prepared to do it yourself.
CHANGING THE STRINGS
The following sequence of steps will ensure that the bridge remains in the correct position and
your banjo stays in tune while changing the strings.
We recommend that you lightly mark the position of the bridge in pencil on the head, in case the
bridge falls over or is knocked out of place while changing the strings. This will save time in
repositioning the bridge.
Take one string off.
Rub pencil lead or a drop of oil into the nut slot to allow the string to slide more easily when
going into tune.
Re-tune the new string to the other strings on your banjo.
Continue the steps 1. through 3. for each successive string.
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